Research on the impact and mechanism of digital economy on China’s urban green total factor productivity

Green and sustainable development is unstoppable. The digital economy has driven great changes in production methods and has become a key strength in reshaping global economic structure and achieving sustainable development. Cities are both the mainstay of economic growth and the main source of various environmental pollution problems. Therefore, studying the relationship between urban digital economy and urban green total factor productivity is of great significance. Based on panel data from 252 cities in China 2011–2019, a two-way fixed effects model was used to examine the impact of urban digital economy on urban green total factor productivity. The empirical results indicate that: (1) Urban digital economy has a significant positive impact on urban green total factor productivity. (2) Urban technological-innovation-level and human-capital-structure of play a mediating role in the impact. (3) This impact has regional heterogeneity and resource-based type heterogeneity. The research conclusions are not only valuable supplements to previous research, but also providing reliable instructions for implementing a flexible digital economy policy.